​​HOM-IMPROV-20: Staying home during COVID-19 has given rise to a different kind of virus. Thousands of homeowners and renters as well, have turned to cleaning, organizing and painting to make use of otherwise idle time.

​Prior to the novel coronavirus, respiratory diseases were already on the rise in Canada. According to the Asthma Society of Canada, one in every four households has a family member suffering of asthma, allergies or some other chronic respiratory illness. With Canadians spending 90% of their time indoors, poor indoor air quality is a big contributor. Indoor air at home, and at work can be 100 times more poluted than outdoor air!

Home inspections, like the real estate market have changed dramatically in the past 20 years. As technology advances and consumers become more web-savvy, there is a greater need for products and services that can keep pace.

Social distancing may last much longer than we imagined, and even if stay-at-home orders are gradually lifted, we need to learn how to work and how to operate our businesses from home. By making good use of the internet, including social media platforms like LinkedIn we can not only survive this crisis, but also set ourselves up for success in the future.

​Pointing a finger at the house or the home inspector is a typical reaction to a buyer walking away after the inspection, but let’s look at the bigger picture. Deals can go south for a lot of reasons, including financing, conditional sales, buyer remorse – you name it.

Beyond the obvious need for sanitary practices, the biggest change is limiting the number of attendees at the home inspection. It is more a question of "should I" rather than "can I attend the home inspection."